BY Victoria Ojeme

ABUJA—As part of activities marking the 2012 Children’s Day celebration, Nigerian Children Parliament sat, yesterday, demanding an end to the spate of killings in the North, describing the rising insecurity in the region as a threat to their future.

The children parliament, at its sitting in Abuja, also called for dialogue to end the killings that had turned many children to orphans, leading to a hopeless and bleak future.

They said: “Our future looks bleak, this country cannot continue to move like this. Something must be done to save our future.”

Led by their Speaker, Idara Thompson, the children said there was need for concerted efforts to tackle the menace either in form of pleading or dialogue.

The parliament said: “All these spilling of blood of Nigerians for the sake of money must be stopped for meaningful progress in the country. The wordings and meaning of the National Anthem must be properly followed for this country to get to the promised land.”

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, while blaming adults for introducing violence to Nigerian children, said the menace will continue to bring division among Nigerian children.

Stating that Nigerian children were bothered by the high rate of violence in the country, Maku stressed the resolve of the Federal Government to do everything possible to stem the tide in the country.

He said: “It is the right of every Nigerian child to live and grow in peace. Where we have offended the Boko Haram sect, we will go and beg. If it is dialogue, we will engage in a meaningful one for peace to reign in the country.”

Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina, while charging Nigerian children to hold their future in their hands, said they needed the leaders to enable them shape their future.

She added that the special sitting was organised to hear the views of Nigerian children on the security situation in the country and to listen to policies and programmes they felt might be useful to develop the country.